With only one year between releases, it would be easy to mistakenly assume that Tempel's new LP, The Moon Lit Our Path, wouldn't be as fierce as their debut. Thankfully, not only does the album attain the same heights of bestial, post-metal wizardry, but it also utilises more changes and subtle instrumentation. The Moon Lit Our Path also lends itself more to narrative, often placing the listener in the parched desert that Tempel calls home.
The album opens with 'Carvings In The Door.' After Wenzel encircles you with thick guitar notes and a haze of eerie synth, he and Corle launch into a grooving, black metal assault. Wenzel's guitar tone is both tar-soaked and defined, allowing each riff to bear its venomous teeth. Pushed by Corle's mercuric drumming, Tempel unleashes a thrashing flood, after which they deftly traverse into Entombed-style death rock. All of this happens in the first quarter of this 8:22 composition; and the remainder is equally stunning.